A WOMAN who has helped run a local cub pack for the past 28 years has been hailed a ‘community hero’.

Sharon Baldam, from Middlesbrough, has secured a £1,000 donation from the insurer Swinton which will be spent on the16-strong troop, which meets every week at the town’s Whale Hill Primary School.

The Swinton Group launched a nationwide search as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations to find ten ‘diamonds’ who make a difference to their community.

Mrs Baldam said the donation would make a huge difference.

She said: “We plan to use the money to help fund this year’s cub camp and our Christmas pantomime.

“We’ve never turned a child away because they can’t cover the costs themselves and this donation will help us ensure we won’t have to in the future.”